In urban middle schools, educators find it challenging to meet the literacy needs of the many struggling readers in their classrooms, including language-minority (LM) learners and students from low-income backgrounds. One strategy for improving these students' reading comprehension is to teach essential academic vocabulary in a meaningful, engaging, and systematic way. This article describes the development and evaluation of an academic vocabulary curriculum for sixth-grade mainstream classrooms with large numbers of LM learners who struggle with comprehension. In a study conducted in 21 sixth-grade classrooms, the curriculum was found to be effective both in improving students' vocabulary and reading comprehension and in supporting teachers' learning about how to teach academic vocabulary. Seven universal learnings for all classrooms are described and illustrated with specific examples of activities, perspectives from teachers, and insights from students, drawn from the study.
The present study aims to advance the extant research base by evaluating the implementation and effectiveness of an academic vocabulary program designed for use in mainstream middle school classrooms with high proportions of language minority learners. The quasi-experimental, mixed-methods study was conducted in 21 classes (13 treatment matched to 8 control) in seven middle schools in a large district, with 476 sixth-grade students (346 language minority learners, 130 native English speakers). Classroom observations and teacher logs indicated the 18-week program was implemented with good fidelity and that the approach contrasted sharply with the standard district English language arts (ELA) curriculum. Multilevel modeling indicated that the program resulted in significant effects on several aspects of vocabulary knowledge, including meanings of taught words (d = 0.39; p < .0001), morphological awareness (d = 0.20; p = .0003), and the word meanings as presented in expository text (d = 0.20; p = .0227). The program also yielded marginally significant, but promising effects on a depth of word knowledge measure (d = 0.15; p =0.0830) and a norm-referenced measure of reading comprehension (d = 0.15; p = .0568). No effects were found on a norm-referenced vocabulary measure. These effects were comparable for language minority learners and their native-English-speaking classmates. Data from teachers shed light on the challenges of meeting students' diverse instructional needs and the roles of curriculum and professional networks in building instructional capacity. The findings show promise in developing effective multifaceted vocabulary instruction for implementation by ELA teachers in middle school classrooms with high numbers of language minority learners.
Teaching Case from the Public Education Leadership Project at Harvard University, A joint initiative of the Harvard Graduate School of Education and the Harvard Business School
The alternative education field lacks a common definition and has a major divide between the differing philosophies of alternative programs; little empirical evidence is available to identify the components necessary to create effective alternative educational programs. Tremendous growth in the availability of alternative programs in the United States over the past several decades, however, illustrates continuing demand for such programs as well as the need for research on the characteristics that constitute effective alternative programs. In this article, the authors study exemplary alternative programs in 3 racially and economically diverse communities to characterize the school climate as viewed by the students and the staff. At this relatively early stage in the field of alternative education, it is essential to examine the similarities, as well as any differences, in the social climate of highly effective alternative programs and to consider their potential relationship with student academic and behavioral success. Furthermore, it is important to recognize how these findings might be one foundation for future inquiry and research on alternative education. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]
In a media landscape dominated by polarizing rhetoric, writing instructors have a renewed
responsibility to thoughtfully engage students. Utilizing a multimodal assignment, Rogerian and
Toulmin argument models can be applied and assessed by students in real-world and online
settings to foster empathy for opposing viewpoints by analyzing assumptions.
This demonstration focuses on using free verse poetry to strengthen L2 writers’ interpretive and invention skills. Drawing on the recent “translingual” turn, it explores poetry as a bridge to academic writing for language learners. Participants will read a short contemporary poem and compose their own “connotative definition,” using brainstorming exercises.
Brief, varied, and meaningful “linked” activities engage students by incorporating a variety of pedagogical methods and modes during a single class session.
This session examines reading in the composition classroom building from a qualitative analysis of student annotations. Participants will explore social annotation tools that facilitate collaborative, strategic reading among students and instructor feedback on students’ reading strategies. Participants are encouraged to bring an electronic device to participate in this demonstration.
This presentation proposes ways in which we can better design, deliver, and assess mobile
learning environments for a diversity of students in composition classrooms.
The emerging scene of using mobile devices for composition instruction is ripe for inclusiveness, and can be considered an iteration of Mary Louise Pratt’s “linguistic utopia.”
This presentation explores Asao Inoue’s 2014 assertion that “students find reasons to learn and
grow as writers when their labor is truly honored” in the contexts of basic writing student
reflection and contract grading.
Each kml file in Google Earth is labeled according to a code based upon coin attributes (type of find, coin type, material, and date). This document explains the code used for coin finds that were minted at Antioch.
A collection of lessons in the form of questions for both informative and practical knowledge. Questions appear in a form that is similar to the teacher's voice.
Participants in this interactive workshop discover the value of peer-teaching observations in higher education, regardless of discipline, and collaborative peer feedback. Through visual presentations, dialogue, handouts, and small-group discussion, participants realize how colleague observations can inform and reflect on participants’ own practices and give insights to improve approaches. Results and reflections are shared to help participants gain skills, replicate the experience, develop professional identities, and further independent inquiry. This is an expansion in to higher education of research previously conducted with pre-service teachers during a clinical practice setting.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
1. To recognize and value the importance of continuing professional development in higher education.
2. To replicate similar reflective experiences in institutions of higher education.
Recent demands on professionalism and scholarship in teacher preparation require institutions to prepare active practitioner scholars prepared to teach. The session content is supported through the research of Levin & Rock (2003), Price & Valli (2005) and Mertler (2009).
Conferees will benefit from the session through a greater understanding of how-to integrate and scaffold the research process throughout an undergraduate education program.
Paraprofessional education candidates (associate degree level) and pre-service teachers participated in Visible Thinking (Ritchart, Church & Morrison, 2011) activities during undergraduate coursework to understand, inform, and then reflect on current topics in education while forming professional identities. The Visible Thinking process and reflections will be shared relating to professional development and inquiry.
Over the past 20 years the internet and technology boom has transformed education teaching approaches and techniques. The introduction of online courses has brought remote communication and collaboration to the center of the discussion. It’s no longer an option for faculty and staff to put their head in the sand and ignore this technological revolution. Even traditional courses and student service offices must engage in communicating and collaborating with students where they are, both in person and online. The presentation will include a walk-through of Professor Theis’ history of integrating cloud-based technology tools in his courses. There have been many ups and downs, successes and failures. He’ll then explain how he’s using one primary application called Slack to engage his students and prepare them for similar tools they’ll be expected to use in the workplace. He’ll discuss a step-by-step process to help higher education professionals determine if, when, and how to introduce or integrate industry-related cloud-based tools into their work with students. We’ll walk through the questions we need to ask when making these decisions. How is my student demographic currently communicating with their faculty and with each other? What are the standard communication and collaboration tools in the industry they may enter in the next few years? Are there processes or tools that I’m currently using that can be easily replaced with a cloud-based technology? Which tools are free for practitioners and students? Finally, he’ll help attendees create a plan and timeline for integrating one or two cloud-based technologies into their work.
This presentation will explain the design of a gamified online first year composition course that is taught at the University of Cincinnati. The design is based on adaptive learning and four component instructional design. It includes a game like structure where students advance through varying levels of competency. It also uses achievements to represent course competencies that students must earn. After presenting the design, the instructor will discuss his successes and struggles in creating an online course that provides students flexibility and quick and frequent interaction with the instructor. Topics will include flexible due dates, use of achievements and badges, adaptive release rules in blackboard, alternative grading systems, and the use of technology for learning.
Prezi: http://prezi.com/odkuil76cp5m/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share
Are you looking for new ways to engage the students in your classroom? Do you want more student involvement, but you aren’t ready to flip your classroom just yet?
Learn some practical, easy-to-use strategies to involve your students in your lecture’s content. This workshop is structured as an interactive lecture and will address tools and techniques that encourage students to respond and get involved in class. Both low tech and high tech strategies will be discussed.
This is a metacognition teaching tool designed as a method of teaching students the connections between emotions, thoughts and behavior through a cognitions diary. This presentation will demonstrate how students can use their cell phones to monitor, examine, and draw conclusions about how their emotions affect their capacity to learn. As a result of the process, students will develop ways to transform cognitions in such a way as to enhance learning. This presentation will include: 1. A guideline for developing a baseline scale of emotions; 2. A table for using a cell phone to log emotions and thoughts; 3. A rubric for reflections and analysis of the journal.
An additional goal of this tool is to provide an experiential basis for students to build understanding for the connection between affect and cognitions.
A Process Guide for Establishing State Adult Education Content Standards was developed by the American Institutes for Research as part of the Adult Education Content Standards Warehouse Project under contract to the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education, Contract No. ED-01-CO-0026/0023.
